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Thursday, January 30, 2014

Cover Reveal and Some Things About Writing

Giving Up The Ghost

After discovering an old Ouija board in the attic
of her home, Kylie McAllister unwittingly opens a cosmic door to an incubus
who pretends to be the dead husband she’s desperately struggling to let go of.
She falls deep under the entity’s spell of delicious sex and malevolent obsession
while he gradually drains her life to fortify his own. By the time she realizes
he’s an imposter, she’s powerless to stop him.

Ryan La Croix has no intention of settling down
with anyone, let alone his best friend’s widow but he finds himself falling
fast when he’s placed in a position to protect her. With the help of a kind
voodoo practitioner and a young psychic, Ryan and Kylie wage a battle for her
life that seems impossible to win.

If you’re a writer, you
know there’s nothing more exciting than seeing cover art for your story. It’s
like a magic trick. You write this story and then it comes to life in a
picture. I had a head start with this because it was previously published but in
hindsight I realized it needed some redoing. It’s currently in the hands of a
capable editor and I hope to release it in March of this year.

Behold the cover that was designed by my friend and fellow
author, Saranna DeWylde. It's completely fabulous. *LOVES* Now that you’re dazzled
with the pretty, I’m going to say a few things about the craft of writing.

I struggle with staying
focused. For me, one of the curses of being creative and imaginative is that my
mind runs constantly, jumping from one idea to another and then out the window
to a bird perched in a tree in the yard then back to looking into my empty mug
and wondering who drank my coffee. Before I know it, I’ve lost an hour or two.
Then I spend another ten minutes sulking about the time I wasted (which wastes
more time). My brain works in cycles like that, very weird and
counterproductive cycles.

I’m not above using gimmicks
to keep myself in check either. Recently, I went back to using Write or Die. This works by setting a goal
consisting of a word count and time frame and, once you start, if you lag and
stop typing the screen fades to red like the elevator doors in the Overlook Hotel
opening up and gushing blood all over your words. (Yes, The Shining is one of
my all time favorite books and provides me with life guidance and reference). Then
a terrible alarm screeches like the hounds of hell are approaching. I will
write like the wind to keep this from happening. It may sound silly but these
things work for me. I clearly need to be threatened with artificial malevolence
while being chained to my office chair to get things done. Now don’t get me
wrong, I love writing and crafting stories but I get lazy and tired and it’s
easier for me to write when I’m hyper-focused and being chased by imaginary
demons wielding hot pitchforks. Also, fear spikes my adrenaline which makes for
some awesome storytelling.

Writing is about finding what
works for you, finding your thumbprint and it’s different for everyone. If
you’re struggling to stay motivated or meet goals, reward or punish yourself
accordingly. In my twisted mind, a punishment can be a reward and vice versa.

One last thing, never
discount the power of a kind word or a pat on the back. A little encouragement
goes a long way. That being said, let me say thank you to some people who’ve
helped me immensely with my writing: Carrie Clevenger, Amy Lee Burgess, Colum
McKnight, Charlote Hodge, April Gutierrez and Nerine Dorman. Whether
you know or not, I couldn’t do it without you guys. <3